Newspaper Page Text
Page A10
Lake Oconee News
Friday, December 22,2017
GREENE COUNTY
Dave Brown/Staff
Greensboro city councilman Vince Lewis, shown here
earlier this month, made his final appearance Monday
night.
Dave Brown/Staff
Greensboro city council members Chris Moore and Shirley Wynn prepare for the meeting Monday night.
City workers get bonuses; loiterers advised to disperse
Dave Brown
dave@lakeoconeenews.us
The final meeting of the year
of the Greensboro City Council
lasted less than 30 minutes and
was self-described as the fastest
in its history.
All members of the council were
present at the final meeting of
longtime councilman Vince Lewis.
The major agenda item was
the approval of the city’s annual
employee incentive.
“It’s customary we vote at this
time for the employee incentive,”
said city manager Larry Postell.
“Right at Christmas -ithasbeen
atradition for decades - the council
votes on giving a week’s pay.”
Councilperson Shirley Wynn
made a motion to accept the rec
ommendation of the city manager,
which was seconded by Chris
Moore.
The employee incentive motion
passed unanimously.
The most engaging interchanges
came during the Unfinished
Business portion of the meeting.
After an update on demolition of
an abandoned home on Railroad
Avenue was provided by city code
enforcement officer Rick Zeier, a
discussion ensued about address
ing other abandoned properties in
the municipality.
“The reason we tore down that
house was because it was being
used for nefarious reasons,” said
Zeier.
“Next year, we should look into
abandoned properties and maybe
make some kind of plan. There’s a
few around Canaan Circle we need
to think about.”
Councilman Ronald McWhorter
and Moore commented about the
problem of abandoned properties.
‘We need to keep violators off
these properties,” said Moore.
“Just because we clean up the
property, it doesn’t mean it won’t
be a problem.”
McWhorter agreed.
“All you need is one tree for
some shade and two cars,” said
McWhorter.
“Then you have a place to hang.”
City attorney Barry Fleming
advised the council that police
are allowed to advise loiterers on
abandoned properties to disperse.
“If they don’t go,” said Fleming,
“then they can start writingtickets.”
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Contributed
John Becker, President and CEO of the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia, center,
accepts one of about 200 frozen turkeys donated by St. Mary's employees and
volunteers from Titus Gambrell, left, St. Mary's Chief Nursing Officer, and Mark
Abbott, right, St. Mary's director of Food and Nutrition Services.
St. Mary’s donates nearly
200 turkeys to Food Bank
St. Mary’s Health Care
System employees and vol
unteers have donated nearly
200 turkeys - weighing
almost a ton-and-a-half- to
the Food Bank of Northeast
Georgia to help families in
need this holiday season.
Each year, St. Mary’s
gives a free turkey to each
employee and volunteer
as a token of appreciation
for their dedication and
service. During the week
before Thanksgiving, frozen
turkeys were handed out
by system leaders at St.
Mary’s Health Care System
in Athens, St. Mary’s Sacred
Heart Hospital in Lavonia,
St. Mary’s Good Samaritan
Hospital in Greensboro,
as well as ancillary facili
ties in Athens, Bogart and
Watkinsville. Each turkey
came with safe cooking
information and preparation
tips developed by St. Mary’s
food service partner, Sodexo.
St. Mary’s makes it easy
for employees to donate their
turkey to the food bank, if
they wish to do so. All the
employee is asked to do is
let human resources know
they want to donate their
turkey. Then, the Food Bank
picks up all the donated tur
keys on the Monday before
Thanksgiving.
“Every year I’m amazed
and moved by the number
of employees who choose
to donate their turkey,” said
Jeff English, President of
St. Mary’s Sacred Heart
Hospital and Vice President
of Human Resources for St.
Mary’s Health Care System.
‘Were thrilled thathundreds
of employees and volunteers
love getting these turkeys,
andwe’rejust as thrilled that
so many donate them to the
food bank to help others.”
John Becker, President
and CEO of the Food Bank
of Northeast Georgia, said
the turkeys were distributed
immediately, mostly to indi
vidual families.
“St. Mary’s has blessed the
community and hundreds
of families for many years
through their donations of
turkeys for Thanksgiving,”
Becker said. “God Bless all of
you and thank you for work
ing through the Food Bank
of Northeast Georgia to feed
our struggling neighbors.”
With each turkey weighing
17 pounds on average, St.
Mary’s donation represents
about 3,400 pounds of food
that will help families at risk
of hunger across Northeast
Georgia. The food bank
provides food to over 225
soup kitchens, food pantries,
senior centers, churches and
other non-profit hunger relief
organizations in 14 coun
ties: Banks, Barrow, Clarke,
Franklin, Habersham,
Hart, Jackson, Madison,
Oconee, Oglethorpe, Rabun,
Stephens, Towns and White.
For more information about
the Food Bank of Northeast
Georgia and the agencies
with which it partners, visit
www.foodbanknega.org.
